Routine:
It can be difficult to adjust to homeworking, keeping your daily working hours – whatever that may be – will really help your body adjust. Getting up at the same time as you usually would and maintaining the same morning routine will help your body recognise the patterns it’s used too. Another key focus is having a dedicated area to work, a place you can enter and then leave as you would usually. This allows you to set aside your work at the end of your working day and move back into your home life effectively. Keeping regular contact with colleagues, as you would day-to-day in the office is also helpful.
Temperature:
Whilst everyone has a different preference, 20°c is generally considered to be the ideal working temperature for offices. Anything above 23°c starts to impact concentration and productivity. The rooms used for homeworking can quickly become too hot, especially in spring/summer.
Lighting:
Getting enough sunlight is essential for maintaining your health – giving you your daily vitamin D boost. Maintaining enough lighting will also help your body adjust and maintain your sleep-wake cycle effectively as it struggles to adjust to not having the daily prompts it usually receives, such as commuting. Sitting near (but not directly in front of) a window is most effective.
Noise:
Whilst some people prefer a little background music or chatter and any loud noises will be an obvious problem, low-level noise can be very distracting. Noise such as traffic can have a massive impact, studies have shown workers to be 65% less productive when in a noisy environment.
Carbon Dioxide:
We all know to monitor for Carbon monoxide because of its potentially lethal affects, but the impact CO2 can have is quite shocking. An excess of the gas can cause headaches, nausea along with feeling sleepy and sluggish. People don’t often realise the Carbon Dioxide levels are the cause of this. CO2 can be maintained by ensuring the room you’re working in is well ventilated – this can be as simple as opening a window.
When working from home, ensuring your immediate environment is safe and healthy is essential. Indoor Air Quality is a key component of your workplace well-being and this is no different when working remotely, although the potential pollutants can be slightly different and vary between locations, the effect on productivity, concentration and well-being remains constant.
Managing the air quality can often be difficult as pets, the preparation of meals and cleaning routines produce a multitude of pollutants that can increase the likelihood of poor indoor air quality.
An effective way to understand and influence your remote working environment is through indoor air quality monitors. Using IAQ monitors can help alert you to spikes in pollutants, identify sources of pollutants and provide guidance on how to control your indoor air quality accordingly.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about indoor air quality monitors and their benefits. Alternatively, we’re always available for a chat.